TI-74 TI-95 8x32K banked RAM/FLASH cart soon, ROM images needed

[toml_12953]

(10-17-2024 12:34 PM)Jeff_Birt Wrote:  

(10-17-2024 02:06 AM)toml_12953 Wrote:  How about RAM? Will all 32K be visible from TI-74 BASIC? I know the TI-95 can see all 32K of TI's 32K module if you load a tiny machine language routine.

For the TI-95 you just need to poke two values into RAM (in the cart) that sets the size of the cart. This only takes a few minutes and would need to be done to each 32K bank. The TI-95 also has a sort of rudimentary file system letting you name a cart and save named programs to it.

For the TI-74 is can only see an 8K of RAM on the cart. The TI-74S can see all 32K. They can both see all 32K of ROM. The only difference between the two is the system ROM. The TI-74 can use the RAM cart as additional program RAM, 8K internal + 8K from the cart. The only way to save such a program is to an external device. You can also use the RAM cart as a crude RAM drive by swapping programs between cart and system RAM. You are limited to 8K programs with this option, but you can have 8 banks of 8K programs at your disposal.

I will experiment with loading the ROM images onto a RAM cart and then setting the write protect DIP sw. This should convince the machine that it is a ROM.

When I had the TI 32K developer's cartridge, the 74 could see all 32K as BASIC program memory and added it to the 8K built in for a total of 40K. I didn't have the 74S (or at least it wasn't marked that way anywhere on the case).